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30 Apr 2007 : Column 1434W—continued
River Don: Pollution
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what measures have been implemented in order to prevent further overflow pollution similar to that experienced in 2006 in the River Don; [133989]
(2) what the most recent assessment is of the water quality of the River Don in the area which was affected by the overflow pollution in 2006. [133990]
Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency (EA) has been working with Yorkshire Water to agree changes to operations at Blackburn Meadows Sewage Treatment Works (Sheffield), within the terms of its permit. Improved maintenance and changes to procedure should improve the ability of the sewage works to deal with future storm events.
A study is under way into the main storm overflow from Aldwarke Sewage Treatment Works (Rotherham). Any improvements the study identifies will be completed by March 2010.
The EA is starting discussions with Yorkshire Water to agree a study into the impact of the combined storm overflows from the middle section of the River Don from Sheffield through Rotherham to Doncaster. The study will establish in detail what happens when summer storms occur and what can be done to improve the infrastructure in the future. In the EA’s Periodic Review submission to the Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) it will recommend that this study be carried out.
The Environment Agency's preliminary assessment of 2006 chemical water quality data shows that the River Don between Blackburn Meadows Sewage Works and Rotherham Centre (2.5 km) has deteriorated from "fairly good quality" to "fair quality" since 2005. While the river has deteriorated slightly in quality, it has not failed the long-term water quality objective set for the river.
The River Don below Blackburn Meadows Sewage Works failed the Freshwater Fisheries Directive in 2005
and has, provisionally, failed in 2006. It is believed that the sewage treatment works caused this failure. Consequently, the EA is also recommending to Ofwat that a detailed study concerning this failure be carried out.
Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection
Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of the devolved administrations on measures to maintain and improve the marine environment. [132113]
Mr. Bradshaw: We have been working with the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly in recent months on our Marine Bill White Paper. I hope that that cooperation and commitment to the marine environment will remain after the Scottish elections in May.
Sewage: Floods
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of sewer flooding where raw sewage has contaminated homes and property occurred in (a) England, (b) each English region and (c) each county in the last three years. [134376]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 27 April 2007]: Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. It collects information from companies on internal and external sewer flooding each year by water and sewerage company area.
The following table sets out the number of incidents of internal and external sewer flooding from public sewerage systems by company area in the last three years. The internal and external incidents include flooding to both household and non-household properties. Ofwat does not collect information showing the split of incidents between household and non-household properties. External incidents also include highway flooding incidents and incidents to open public spaces.
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | ||||
| Company | Internal | External | Internal | External | Internal | External |
Telephone Use: Mrs. Beckett
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to public funds was of the telephone use of the right hon. Member for Derby, South from her official residence in Admiralty House in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06. [113985]
Barry Gardiner: Costs incurred by Ministers in the course of official business are borne by the department. The cost to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for telephone services in Admiralty House for my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) between March 2004 and February 2006 was £1,412.51. The bulk of these costs were for the service charges associated with the telephone services provided.
Television: Carbon Emissions
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on carbon dioxide emissions of plasma television screens. [132227]
Ian Pearson: The Government's Market Transformation Programme (MTP) estimates that in 2005 63 million television (TV) sets were being used in UK homes. Approximately 90 per cent. of these were the traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) type and approximately 10 per cent. were flat screen plasma or LCD types. By 2010, we estimate that the total number of TVs will rise to around 67 million sets, of which approximately 50 per cent. will be CRTs, and approximately 40 per cent. LCD and plasma. The remaining 10 per cent. will be made up of rear-projection and yet-to-emerge technologies such as organic light-emitting diode and field-emission diode screens.
Our assessment, based on current trends, is that the energy consumed by all TVs could increase from around 10 Terra Watt Hours (TWh) of electricity (roughly 1.1 million tonnes of carbon) in 2005 to over 15 TWh of electricity (1.7 million tonnes of carbon) in 2010. Most of this potential increase in emissions is accounted for by a predicted significant rise in the average electricity consumption of each unit. This will be caused by the trend for consumers purchasing TVs with larger screens, including both plasma and LCD technologies, replacing their older and smaller CRT models, and a small increase in the total TV viewing hours and standby usage by households.
However, we believe there is a potential, through actions by manufacturers and retailers to bring forward and to promote TVs that are more energy efficient, so that the projected 2010 electricity consumption can be reduced by around 10 per cent.
The issue of increasing emissions from new generation television sets and the potential impact of emerging technologies was assessed in a report published for DEFRA in June 2005, entitled “An Assessment of Emerging Innovative Energy Efficient Technologies as part of the Energy Efficiency Innovation Review”.
Waste Management
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants of each grade are employed by (a) the Waste Management Division and (b) the Waste Strategy Division within his Department. [132270]
Barry Gardiner: The number of staff employed in the two divisions as at 31 March 2007 was as follows:
| Grade equivalent | Waste management | Waste strategy |
The numbers shown are a headcount and exclude inwardly seconded staff.
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the job title is of each staff position in (a) the Waste Management Division and (b) the Waste Strategy Division within his Department. [132272]
Barry Gardiner: Job titles for staff in DEFRA’s Waste Management and Strategy Divisions are as follows:
SCS Deputy Director, Head of Waste Management Division
Personal Secretary to the Head of Division
Grade 7 Head of Waste Management Licensing Unit
2 HEO Policy advisers
EO Policy adviser
AO Administrator
Grade 7 Head of Fly-tipping Strategy Unit
SEO Policy adviser
2 HEO Policy advisers
EO Policy adviser
AO Administrator
Seconded Policy adviser
Grade 7 Head of Hazardous Waste Unit
SEO Policy adviser (post vacant)
2 HEO Policy advisers
2 EO Policy advisers
AO Administrator
Seconded Policy adviser
Grade 7 Head of Producer Responsibility Unit
4 HEO Policy advisers
2 EO Policy advisers
AO Administrator
Grade 7 Head of Waste Framework Directive Unit
2 HEO Policy advisers (1 post vacant)
EO Policy adviser
Grade 7 Head of Permitting Development Unit
HEO Policy adviser
SCS Head of Waste Strategy Division
Personal Secretary to Head of Division
G7 Team leader of Waste Policy and Processes Branch
3 HEO Policy advisers
2 EO Policy advisers
Grade 6 Team Leader of Waste Strategy review Branch
SEO Project Manager and Policy adviser
HEO Policy adviser
2 EO Policy advisers
Grade 7 Head of Local Authority Waste Funding and Governance Branch
2 SEO Policy advisers
HEO (D) Policy adviser
EO Policy adviser
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